Frenkel & Frenkel Blog in Dallas, Texas

Lawsuit Filed in Hospital Strangulation Death

The mother of a man who was murdered by another patient while hospitalized has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital. The suit contends that hospital staff was negligent when they placed the woman’s son in the same room as a man with a violent criminal history. Incident Details According to lawsuit documents, Raul Alexander Rios, the 32-year-old son of Giovannina Paloumbus, was admitted to the psychiatric ward at Aventura Hospital, suffering from depression. The family says that Mr. Rios suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia for many years. Early on the day of June 26, Alexander Thadeus Jackson, who had been admitted to the hospital for unknown reasons, was placed in the same room as Mr. Rios. Later that evening, Mr. Rios was discovered unresponsive and an investigation found that he had been strangled. Mr. Jackson, a 31-year-old homeless man with a history of violence, admitted to using his hands and a bed sheet to strangle Mr. Rios. Violent History Records indicate that Mr. Jackson had a long history of law violations in both Florida and North Carolina. Mr. Jackson had been charged with assault, possession and theft. He served time in jail for assaulting a female, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. This was information that the hospital knew or should have known at the time Mr. Jackson was admitted, yet they failed to provide proper supervision and security as required by law. The lawsuit contends that Mr. Rios was unable to defend himself due to his mental illness. Hospital Response In response to the lawsuit, Aventura Hospital spokespersons said that the security and safety of their patients was of the utmost importance. They expressed condolences to Rios’ family regarding his death, but declined to make any further comment regarding the incident. According to lawyers for the family, the hospital’s security was lacking, making them negligent under the law. When negligence is suspected as the cause or contributing factor in an incident that causes injury or death, a wrongful death lawsuit may be in order. Contact Dallas-Fort Worth lawyers at Frenkel & Frenkel to schedule a free initial consultation regarding an incident where injuries may have been caused or worsened by someone else’s negligence.